New iMac with M4

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Apple’s new 24‑inch iMac with the M4 chip draws mixed reactions: many welcome the jump to 16GB base RAM, USB‑C peripherals, and strong single‑machine performance for “family” and front‑desk use, but power users lament the 32GB memory ceiling, high storage markups, and lack of a larger 27‑inch option. Commenters debate Apple’s design priorities—from the persistent “chin” and the much‑mocked Magic Mouse charging port to non‑upgradeable, tightly integrated hardware that limits reuse of otherwise excellent 5K displays—framing the iMac as a polished appliance that trades flexibility and longevity for simplicity and aesthetics.

Display size, quality, and alternatives

  • Many miss the discontinued 27" 5K iMac; 24" is widely seen as too small for a primary dev/creative machine.
  • The 5K iMac panel is praised as unusually good even by current standards; Apple’s Studio Display is seen as its spiritual successor but very expensive.
  • Third‑party 5K options (LG Ultrafine, Samsung Viewfinity, Huawei Mateview, etc.) are discussed, with complaints about burn‑in, coil whine, or lower pixel counts.
  • Several people repurpose old 27" iMacs as external displays via aftermarket driver boards; others wish Apple still supported Target Display Mode or had HDMI/DP input.

RAM, storage, and pricing

  • Positive reaction that 16GB is finally the base RAM; many call 8GB “criminal” on expensive Macs.
  • Strong criticism that iMac is capped at 32GB unified memory, seen as a hard blocker for heavy local LLM or pro workloads. Others argue 16–32GB is plenty for the target audience.
  • Apple’s RAM and SSD upgrade pricing is widely condemned as extreme price discrimination; many compare to cheap commodity DDR and NVMe.
  • Base 256GB SSD is considered too small in 2024, especially given large apps, photos, and games.

Magic Mouse and USB‑C peripherals

  • Accessories moving from Lightning to USB‑C is welcomed.
  • Long debate about the Magic Mouse: some love the touch surface and gestures; many find it ergonomically bad and still hate the bottom‑mounted charging port.
  • Defenders say the battery lasts for weeks and 2–10 minutes of charge gives hours, so inability to use it while charging is mostly a meme; critics say that doesn’t fix real‑world interruptions.

Upgradability, longevity, and environmental concerns

  • iMac’s non‑upgradeable RAM/SSD and tied‑to‑the‑screen design are criticized as wasteful; monitors often outlive computers.
  • Some users keep iMacs 8–12 years and argue that, in practice, that lifespan is good enough.
  • Others call Apple’s “green” messaging hollow while devices are designed to be non‑repairable and screens can’t easily be reused as monitors.
  • Apple’s trade‑in/recycling is noted, but several say “reuse” (e.g., monitor‑only mode) would be far greener.

Form factor, ports, and design

  • The persistent “chin” and large bottom bezel are divisive: some see it as ugly and outdated; others note it houses electronics and speakers and gives a place to grab or stick notes.
  • Ports on the back are criticized as inconvenient; the external power brick with Ethernet is seen as a clever way to keep desk cables minimal.
  • Lack of larger iMac (27–32") and no ultrawide option disappoints many power users.

Performance, AI, and positioning

  • Comparing M4 iMac mainly to M1 iMac feels like marketing spin, but some say that’s fair because many owners are still on M1.
  • Claims like “world’s fastest CPU core” and “up to 4.5x faster than popular Intel AIO” are treated skeptically due to “up to” framing and benchmark cherry‑picking.
  • 32GB cap and base M‑class chip suggest this iMac isn’t intended for heavy LLM or ML work; commenters expect that from future M4 Pro/Max/Ultra Macs instead.
  • Apple Intelligence and Private Cloud Compute are mentioned, with mixed views: interest in OS‑level LLM integration, but ongoing worries about phoning home and past telemetry (e.g., code signing checks).

Use cases and target market

  • Many agree this model is aimed at “normals”: family computers, reception/front‑desk, small businesses, education, and shared living‑room machines.
  • Power users on HN overwhelmingly prefer Mac mini/Studio + separate monitor, or MacBooks with external displays.